Alex McLeish hopes to have Roy Aitken’s replacement secured by the time Birmingham City fly off to Hong Kong and China for their pre-season tour.

McLeish has already sounded out candidates for the role as one of his trusted lieutenants, to join long-time sidekick Andy Watson - and Ricky Sbragia has emerged as firm favourite.

Big Eck has made an approach to Sunderland for Sbragia, who became their chief scout after a short stint in charge of the Black Cats.

A former Blues and Walsall player, Sbragia is a highly regarded coach and impressed at Manchester United as reserve team manager before moving to Bolton Wanderers and then Sunderland, in 2007, for a second spell on Wearside.

The Blues boss laughed off suggestions that Aitken’s exit for Dubai-based Al Ahli following on from head physio Tim Williamson’s return to Celtic had plunged the club into turmoil.

Blues have now identified former Charlton Athletic and West Ham United physio George Cooper, who has latterly been at Brentford, to work at first team level alongside Pete Shaw.

And McLeish said he was making inroads for a new joint first team coach, with Sbragia top of the hit list.

"At the moment, [reserve coach] Malky Thomson will help out," said McLeish. "We will spread the load. We have got Terry Westley and Steve Spooner there as well, who are good coaches from the Academy.

"We can all multi-task until we get somebody.

"As you can imagine, I have had no shortage of people being put into me and there’s guys I have got my own thoughts on.

"I will try and make sure I get someone the players respect, as much as they respected Roy.

"As for China, it’s not too soon, no. I’m working at it and it might be that we have somebody in place by the time we depart on Wednesday."

Aitken, who came to Blues with McLeish from the Scotland national set up with Watson in November 2007, will be assisting David O’Leary again.

Ambitious Al Ahli have also recruited Fabio Cannavaro and former Blues favourite Tony Coton has gone out to the United Arab Emirates to be their goalkeeper coach.

Blues will receive compensation for Aitken, who was on a year’s rolling contract that could be ended by either party for the 12 month’s salary.

"I am pretty philosophical about these things," said McLeish. "It’s an opportunity for Roy and equally it’s an opportunity for someone else to come here.

"It’s also an opportunity for me to appoint somebody, maybe, with different ideas and it brings a bit of freshness as well.

"Now, we didn’t want to lose Roy. We had a great team going here, the staff that has been built up over the last couple of years is very, very solid, great credentials.

"Roy has had great respect from the players. Not only through his skills on the training field and in that he knows the game, but his people skills are great and the players really liked him.

"He could be firm and tough with them but, at the same time, he would pick them up when they were down. They never saw him really without a smile on his face.

"He was the worst referee I’ve ever seen, though. I told the players the other day that the good news was the refereeing would improve, the bad news was that big Roy Aitken - a valued staff member and a great guy - was leaving.

"I don’t think we can fill the gap personality wise. Roy’s a unique character. But, certainly, I want to make sure that I maintain the coaching quality."

McLeish added: "It was a bit of a freak thing. David O’Leary was fourth or fifth on the list behind others who were in for that job.

"Unfortunately for us, David got it and he obviously knows Roy. His friendship with him is there for everybody to see.

"But, at the same time, Roy wasn’t just going to leave for the sake of renewing that friendship.

"It was a lifestyle decision as well. Roy can have his family together again with him in Dubai, his daughter is a nurse in America and possibly there’s a place for her in a hospital in Dubai.

"That would give them the quality family time that has maybe not been there for a couple of years.

"Let’s not kid ourselves on as well, it’s obviously a lucrative deal for Roy and you can’t deny a guy in his early 50s that opportunity."